Consumers cannot expect boneless chicken wings to actually be free of bones, a divided Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday, rejecting claims by a restaurant patron who suffered serious medical complications from getting a bone stuck in his throat.

Michael Berkheimer was dining with his wife and friends at a wing joint in Hamilton, Ohio, and had ordered the usual — boneless wings with parmesan garlic sauce — when he felt a bite-size piece of meat go down the wrong way. Three days later, feverish and unable to keep food down, Berkeimer went to the emergency room, where a doctor discovered a long, thin bone that had torn his esophagus and caused an infection.

In a 4-3 ruling, the Supreme Court said Thursday that “boneless wings” refers to a cooking style, and that Berkheimer should’ve been on guard against bones since it’s common knowledge that chickens have bones. The high court sided with lower courts that had dismissed Berkheimer’s suit.

  • Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    4 months ago

    I like bone in wings usually because I prefer dark meat but I will also order boneless sometimes when I want the convenience. I prefer options mostly I guess. I get bones in food that is boneless several times a year though. I will have a Jimmy Dean breakfast thing for breakfast a few times a week and I eat them gently because at least one of those per package will have a bone fragment in it. I just had a turkey sandwich last week I made from deli meat and it had a bone fragment in it. I’ve sent feedback and UPC’s get responses that they would check quality control yada yada and sent coupons. I don’t bother anymore, I was letting them know because it fucking hurt my tooth and was hoping it would get fixed. I still have two little bone fragments sitting on my desk I need to toss out now that I think about them. I usually let them sit on my desk for a few days so I can glare at them in disappointment while I’m working.